.30-06 Springfield 1 .30-06 Springfield .30-06 Springfield .30-06 Springfield cartridge with soft tip Type Rifle Place of origin United States Service history In service 1906–present Used by USA and others Wars World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, to present Production history Designer United States Military Designed 1906 Produced 1906–present Specifications Parent case .30-03 Springfield Case type Rimless, bottleneck Bullet diameter .308 in (7.8 mm) Neck diameter .340 in (8.6 mm) Shoulder diameter .441 in (11.2 mm) Base diameter .471 in (12.0 mm) Rim diameter .473 in (12.0 mm) Rim thickness .049 in (1.2 mm) Case length 2.494 in (63.3 mm) Overall length 3.34 in (85 mm) Case capacity 68 gr H O (4.4 cm3) 2 Rifling twist 1-10 in. Primer type Large Rifle Maximum pressure 60,200 psi Ballistic performance Bullet weight/type Velocity Energy 150 gr (10 g) Nosler Ballistic Tip 2,910 ft/s (890 m/s) 2,820 ft·lbf (3,820 J) 165 gr (11 g) BTSP 2,800 ft/s (850 m/s) 2,872 ft·lbf (3,894 J) 180 gr (12 g) Core-Lokt Soft Point 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) 2,913 ft·lbf (3,949 J) 200 gr (13 g) Partition 2,569 ft/s (783 m/s) 2,932 ft·lbf (3,975 J) 220 gr (14 g) RN 2,500 ft/s (760 m/s) 2,981 ft·lbf (4,042 J) .30-06 Springfield 2 Test barrel length: 24 inch 60 cm [] [] Source(s): Federal Cartridge / Accurate Powder The .30-06 Springfield cartridge (pronounced "thirty-aught-six" or "thirty-oh-six"),7.62×63mm in metric notation, and "30 Gov't 06" by Winchester[1] was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. The ".30" refers to the caliber, and the "06" refers to the year of adoption, 1906. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army (also called .30-40 Krag). The .30-06 remained the US Army's primary rifle and machine gun cartridge for nearly 50 years before it was replaced by the 7.62×51mm NATO (commercial .308 Winchester) and 5.56×45mm NATO, both of which remain in current U.S. and NATO service. It remains a very popular sporting round, with ammunition produced by all major manufacturers. History Many European militaries at the turn of the 20th century were in the process of adopting service rounds loaded with pointed spitzer bullets: France in 1898, Germany in 1905, Russia in 1908, and Britain in 1910,[2] so when it was introduced in 1903, the .30-03 service round loaded with a 220-grain (14 g) round-nose bullet and achieving a muzzle velocity of 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s) was quickly falling behind the ongoing technical evolution.[3] For these reasons a new case was developed with a slightly shorter neck to fire a spitzer flat-based 150 grains (9.7 g) bullet that had a ballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of approximately 0.405 and achieved a muzzle velocity of 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) and muzzle energy of 2,428 ft·lbf (3,292 J). The M1903 Springfield rifle, introduced alongside the earlier .30-03 cartridge, was quickly modified to accept the new .30-06 Springfield cartridge, designated by the US military as the M1906. Modifications to the rifle included shortening the barrel at its breech and recutting the chamber. This was so that the shorter ogive of the new bullet would not have to jump too far to reach the rifling. Other changes included elimination of the troublesome 'rod bayonet' of the earlier Springfield rifles. Experience gained in World War I indicated that other nations' machine guns far outclassed American ones in maximum effective range. Additionally, before the widespread employment of light mortars and artillery, long-range machine gun 'barrage' or indirect fires were considered important in U.S. infantry tactics.[4] For these reasons, in 1926, the Ordnance Corps developed the .30 M1 Ball cartridge loaded with a new Improved Military Rifle (IMR) propellant and 174-grain (11.3 g) bullet with a 9 degree boat tail that had a ballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of approximately 0.560, that achieved a muzzle velocity of 2,640 ft/s (800 m/s) and muzzle energy of 2,692 ft·lbf (3,650 J). This bullet further reduced air resistance in flight resulting in less rapid downrange deceleration, less lateral drift caused by crosswinds, and significantly greater supersonic and maximum effective range from machine guns and rifles alike. Its maximum range was approximately 5,500 yd (5,030 m).[5] Additionally, a gilding metal jacket was developed that all but eliminated the metal fouling that plagued the earlier M1906 cartridge. Wartime surplus totaled over 2 billion rounds of ammunition. Army regulations called for training use of the oldest ammunition first. As a result, the older .30-06 ammunition was expended for training; stocks of .30 M1 Ball ammunition were allowed to slowly grow until all of the older M1906 ammunition had been fired. By 1936 it was discovered that the maximum range of the .30 M1 Ball ammunition with its boat-tailed spitzer bullets were beyond the safety limitations of many ranges. An emergency order was made to manufacture quantities of ammunition that matched the external ballistics of the earlier M1906 cartridge as soon as possible. A new cartridge was developed in 1938 that was essentially a duplicate of the old M1906 round, but loaded with IMR 4895 propellant and a new flat-based bullet that had gilding metal jacket and a different lead alloy and weighed 152 grains (9.8 g) instead of 150 grains (9.7 g). This 1938 pattern cartridge, the Cartridge .30 M2 Ball achieved a muzzle velocity of 2,805 ft/s (855 m/s) and muzzle energy of 2,655 ft·lbf (3,600 J). Its maximum range was approximately 3,450 yd (3,150 m).[6] .30-06 Springfield 3 Firearms In military service, the 30-06 was used in the bolt-action M1903 Springfield rifle, the bolt-action M1917 Enfield rifle, the semi-automatic M1 Garand, the M1941 Johnson Rifle, the Famage Mauser, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and numerous machine guns, including the M1917 and M1919 series. It served the United States in both World Wars and in the Korean War, its last major use being in Vietnam. Large volumes of surplus brass made it the basis for dozens of commercial and wildcat cartridges, as well as being extensively used for reloading. In 1908 the Model 1895 Winchester lever action rifle became the first commercially produced sporting rifle chambered in 30-06.It is still a very common round for hunting and is suitable for large game such as bison, Sambar deer, and bear, when used at close to medium ranges. Ballistically, the 30-06 is one of the most versatile cartridges ever designed. With "hot" hand-loads and a rifle capable of handling them, the .30-06 is capable of performance rivaling many "magnum" cartridges. The .30-06's power (combined with the availability of surplus firearms chambered for it and demand for commercial ammunition) has kept the round as one of the most popular for hunting in North America. With appropriate loads it is suitable for any small or large heavy game found in North America. Performance The .30-06 cartridge was designed when shots of 1,000 yards (900 m) were expected. In 1906, the original M1906 .30-06 cartridge consisted of a 150 grains (9.7 g), flat-base cupronickel-jacketed-bullet. After WWI, the U.S. military needed better long-range performance machine guns. Based on weapons performance reports from Europe, a streamlined, 173 grains (11.2 g) boattail, gilding-metal bullet was used. The .30-06 cartridge, with the 173 grains (11.2 g) bullet was called Cartridge, .30, M1 Ball. The .30-06 cartridge was far more powerful than the smaller Japanese 6.5×50mm Arisaka cartridge and comparable to the Japanese 7.7×58mm Arisaka. The new M1 ammunition proved to be significantly more accurate than the M1906 round.[7] In 1938, the unstained, 9.8 grams (151 gr), flat-base bullet combined with the .30-06 case became the M2 ball cartridge. The M2 Ball specifications required 2,740 feet per second (840 m/s) minimum velocity, measured 78 feet (24 m) from the muzzle.[8] M2 Ball was the standard-issue ammunition for military rifles and machine guns until it was replaced by the 7.62×51 mm NATO round for the M14 and M60. For rifle use, M2 Ball ammunition proved to be less accurate than the earlier M1 cartridge; even with match rifles, a target group of 5 inches (130 mm) diameter at 200 yards (180 m) using the 150-grain (9.7 g) M2 bullet was considered optimal, and many rifles performed less well.[7] The U.S. Marine Corps retained stocks of M1 ammunition for use by snipers and trained marksmen throughout the Solomon Islands campaign in the early years of the war.[9] In an effort to increase accuracy some snipers resorted to use of the heavier .30-06 M2 armor-piercing round, a practice that would re-emerge during the Korean War.[10] Others sought out lots of M2 ammunition produced by Denver Ordnance, which had proved to be more accurate than those produced by other wartime ammunition plants when used for sniping at long range.[11] Commercially manufactured rifles chambered in .30-06 are popular for hunting.